Master Li sent more than a hundred people again. Chu Yunning looked at the registration list and saw that they were all born into poor families.
"What did you do before you joined the military camp? How many people in your family are you good at?"
Chu Yunning personally wrote and asked the people on the list one by one to screen out unnecessary troubles.
"Chu Shanggong, we are all peasants. We face the loess and have our backs to the sky. We only have to do brute force work. We are not afraid of hardship or fatigue."
They were able to join the military camp because their families were so poor that they couldn't help themselves, and the harvest was not good, so when they heard that the imperial court was recruiting troops, and they also gave money, they could still receive monthly allowances. If they unfortunately died in battle,
They could also leave a large pension for their family, so they came without hesitation.
Chu Yunning simply took a few farming questions, and several people opened their mouths and opened the calluses on their hands.
Some people even lifted a big stone directly on their shoulders to show brute force.
"Don't worry, Chu Shang Palace. We don't have that many moths. Whatever you say will be accepted. We just hope to win the war and go back to see my mother as soon as possible."
"That's right, I'm still waiting to go back and get a wife."
Chu Yunning raised her lips and smiled when she heard this: "Remember, farming is not shameful. You can make a living by relying on one hand without stealing or robbing, and there is no shame. From now on, each of you will be responsible for guarding a greenhouse. I
It will be inspected regularly, and if it is well taken care of, I will reward you. When the war is over, the court will still need each of you."
One of them said with some excitement: "Chu Shanggong means that we will go to the capital to farm in the future?"
They originally thought that after the war was over, they would no longer be needed here, but they did not expect that there would be other arrangements.
"How could it be? There are so many open mouths waiting for food. As long as you want, you can stay here or go to the capital to develop."
Chu Yunning also plans to help the people around him escape poverty. This will not happen overnight.
Someone seemed to have seen the future and became even more excited: "Don't worry, Chu Shang Palace, we will work hard and never cause trouble."
"Okay, I've said it before. If someone cheats and violates my bottom line, don't blame me for being rude!"
Having established the rules, these people did not dare to underestimate Chu Yunning, and nodded with serious faces.
So Chu Yunning assigned tasks to these 100 people, divided them into three teams to continue expanding the greenhouse, and then sent people to purchase straw from surrounding farmers' homes.
The news here could not be hidden from Emperor Mingwen because Lieutenant General Wen, who was stationed at the border, couldn't stand women shouting in front of men. What's more, some of the hundred people who were kicked out were his former subordinates.
Chu Yunning's actions caused him to lose face.
The more Lieutenant General Wen thought about it, the angrier he became, and while he was reporting the military situation, he casually mentioned the matter.
"Your Majesty, Chu Shanggong is acting recklessly in the army and has made many jokes. The general thinks that Chu Shanggong should not be given such great rights."
Emperor Mingwen raised his eyebrows and said nothing.
Then Vice General Wen said: "Since ancient times, women have stayed at home to care for their husbands and raise children. Men can do whatever they say. How many people are as deviant as Chu Shanggong? The soldiers in the south are controlled by a woman and spread the word."
, where should we put our face?"
Once the conversation started, Lieutenant General Wen became more and more enthusiastic: "Your Majesty, our military camp is full of men of flesh and blood, but Chu Shanggong led people to farm the land and beat so many people in public, so he was not afraid of chilling the hearts of the soldiers.
.”
After chattering for almost half an hour, Emperor Mingwen patiently took the tea to his mouth and took a sip. Eunuch Mo looked at Vice General Wen with a sympathetic look.
Finally, Vice General Wen almost ran out of foam before he looked up at Emperor Mingwen: "Your Majesty, I have finished speaking."
Emperor Mingwen put down the tea cup. The expression on his face was unpredictable. He just asked lightly: "I don't know when this war will end. Farming is also my idea. Why does Lieutenant General Wen think it's wrong to farm?"
Vice General Wen was stunned.
"There is nothing shameful about farming. Food, drink, and diarrhea are a huge expense for the three armies every day. What if the war is delayed for too long and there is no food and grass?"
"Your Majesty, the general is in panic." Vice General Wen's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground.
Emperor Mingwen said in a deep voice: "Of course the imperial court can send people to deliver food and grass. The journey is long. Who can guarantee that there will be no delays and no accidents along the way? If we can be self-sufficient and no longer collect life-saving food from the people, what is wrong?"
"This..." Vice General Wen could hardly lift his head when he was questioned. He lowered his head tightly, sweat pouring from his forehead.
Emperor Mingwen stood up slowly, walked around the table and came to Emperor Mingwen, and asked again: "I heard that the people who caused trouble today were Lieutenant General Wen's subordinates. Is Lieutenant General Wen trying to rectify the injustice for his subordinates?"
"The last general will not dare." Vice General Wen kowtowed to Emperor Mingwen.
"Everything in Chu Shang Palace is done according to my instructions. There is nothing wrong with it. Are Vice General Wen questioning me?"
Vice General Wen was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and shook his head: "I don't dare, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Seeing Vice General Wen's dissatisfied expression, Emperor Mingwen said in a deep voice: "What about women? If there are no women, where will the men come from? Vice General Wen, you underestimate Chu Shang Palace, Eunuch Mo."
"My servant is here." Eunuch Mo stepped forward.
"Pass on my decree and let Lieutenant General Wen plant half a month of land. Everything will be under the command of Chu Shang Palace."
Vice General Wen raised his head in shock: "Your Majesty, I will not go!"
"Sir, Lieutenant General, do you want to resist the order? This is a serious crime of beheading." Eunuch Mo said. Lieutenant General Wen was so speechless that he closed his mouth tightly and could not say anything, so he had to accept the order.
Eunuch Mo personally led the person to Chu Yunning. After briefly explaining the purpose of his visit, Chu Yunning frowned and secretly sighed that Emperor Mingwen would cause trouble to him in one day. This prickly head was not easy to control, and he was quite calm.
He scratched his neck and barely had the word dissatisfaction written on his face.
"Chu Shanggong, the emperor has said that for the next half month, you will treat yourself as Vice General Wen and an ordinary person. There is no need to be restrained. The emperor will support you and make the decision in everything."
Having said that, Chu Yunning had no intention of training Lieutenant General Wen, but the imperial edict had been issued, so Chu Yunning had no choice but to nod his head.
After Eunuch Mo left, Chu Yunning glanced at the angry Lieutenant General Wen and turned around to do whatever he had to do without saying a word.
Chu Yunning approached the shed, bent down and opened the straw, stretched out his hand to feel the moisture of the soil, and found that the soil was a little dry and hard: "Bixiu, the temperature here is not enough, please bring in some more stoves.
"
Bixiu immediately took out a notebook and wrote it down.
"How can you grow green vegetables in the winter with all this nonsense?" Lieutenant General Wen snorted.
Bixiu looked at Vice Admiral Wen, who had a dark face that looked like Guan Gong, and said angrily: "That's because you are short-sighted. Just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean you don't have it!"
"You!" Vice General Wen was contradicted by a little maid, and his face became even darker: "What an unruly maid."
Bi Xiuheng did not continue to argue with Deputy General Wen, but simply ignored him and continued to follow Chu Yunning.
"Chu Shanggong, I have watered twice this morning, and I am not lazy." As soon as the guard in charge of the greenhouse heard that Chu Yunning was coming, he quickly came to explain.
Chu Yunning smiled slightly; "I know, it's the end of the year soon. There is a big temperature difference between day and night, but the water is still enough. It's done well."
After receiving the praise, the guard breathed a sigh of relief and scratched his head shyly: "I thought farming was just like back home. I didn't expect there was so much knowledge."
"Humph, people are reluctant to use such a good charcoal fire, but it is burning here in vain, a waste!" Lieutenant General Wen snorted.
Chu Yunning saw that Vice General Wen was gossiping everywhere he went, and turned back to glare at him angrily: "The Emperor said that you will be under my control for the next half month. If you keep nagging you again, I will punish you to go out on guard duty!"
"You!" Vice General Wen glared angrily, raised his hand and put it down again with a look of aggrievedness. Upon seeing this, Chu Yunning withdrew his eyes and continued to investigate the next greenhouse.
When the curtain was lifted, a gust of warm air hit my face. The guard guarding the greenhouse immediately stepped forward: "Chu Shang Palace, the ginger here will be harvested in two days."
The lush green leaves stunned Lieutenant General Wen. He couldn't believe his eyes and rubbed them hard: "Is this ginger?"
He was a rough old man who had only seen dried ginger before. This was the first time he saw fresh ginger. He was used to seeing a vast expanse of white. Suddenly he saw so much green. Vice General Wen swallowed his throat, bent down and reached out to pull out one.
, with a palm-sized piece of ginger attached to the end.
Bi Xiu curled her lips and said, "Vice General Wen, now you know you can grow fresh vegetables in winter."
These words were like a slap on Vice General Wen's face. Vice General Wen's dark face turned red and he murmured a few words but didn't even say a word in rebuttal. Bixiu felt very relieved.
Chu Yunning shook her head helplessly and smiled. She carefully observed the growth of these gingers and gave a few words of advice: "After harvesting, they must be dried over charcoal fire. There should be no moisture. This will facilitate storage and prevent them from spoiling."
"yes."
The third shed was planted with a lot of spinach and coriander. It was green and pleasing to the eye. Vice General Wen beside him was so stunned that he could not speak. He looked at Chu Yunning as if he was looking at a monster.
"What's Vice General Wen's expression like?" Chu Yunning frowned. She didn't like being stared at so directly.
Vice General Wen swallowed his throat: "Are these grown by Chu Shang Palace?"
It's simply amazing.
"If the lady didn't plant it, could it be that it was planted by Deputy General Wen?" Bi Xiu said angrily, and the embarrassed Deputy General Wen opened his mouth and said embarrassedly: "That's not what I meant."
The next step is to plant wheat and rice in greenhouses. Rice has begun the reclamation stage and it will take several days to nourish the soil.
There were dozens of sheds. After Lieutenant General Wen looked around, he was so ashamed that he wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into them.
It's all his fault for underestimating Chu Yunning.
There is no comparison between this woman and ordinary women.
"I've been bothering Lieutenant General Wen to guard this shed for the past half month. It's all Chinese cabbage. It will be harvested in a few days, just in time to make cabbage for the soldiers." Chu Yunning pointed to a large shed behind him.
The visible Chinese cabbage has already taken shape.
"I can't guarantee that the soldiers can eat fresh vegetables every day. I can only try my best to ensure that the soldiers can improve their meals every three to five." Chu Yunning said.
Vice Admiral Wen nodded: "Okay, this is not a difficult matter. Just leave it to me. Isn't it just to control the temperature and add some charcoal fire to prevent these vegetables from freezing? But this charcoal fire is really expensive."
"You don't have to worry about Vice Admiral Wen, the charcoal fire will be available soon," Bixiu said.
Her lady is already preparing to make charcoal fires and supply all the tents as much as possible. Lieutenant General Wen didn't believe it: "This won't happen overnight. I don't believe anyone can solve this problem."
"Have you forgotten, Vice General Wen, that you can't grow vegetables in winter?" Bixiu reminded.
Lieutenant General Wen was speechless.
At this time, Eunuch Mo came and said that the emperor wanted to see her for something. Chu Yunning simply packed up and left.
Emperor Mingwen asked directly: "How is it? Vice General Wen didn't embarrass you, did he?"
"Why does the emperor think that I can be made difficult?" Chu Yunning was helpless and funny. Could it be that he seemed to be easily bullied?
"Vice-General Wen is a strong man with a single mind and a good hand on the battlefield." If General Wen hadn't been brave and good at fighting and loyal, Emperor Mingwen would have taken action long ago based on his words in the afternoon.
Chu Yunning nodded to express his understanding: "Vice-General Wen has been stationed at the border for more than ten years. It is normal for a young woman not to be convinced by me. Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will do things in a measured way and will not embarrass Vice-General Wen too much."
"Chu Shanggong, you have misunderstood. The emperor is worried that you will be wronged." Eunuch Mo quickly explained.
Emperor Mingwen squinted at Eunuch Mo angrily, but did not explain anything, and continued: "I asked Deputy General Wen to serve under you, not to vent your anger. Today there is Deputy General Wen, but tomorrow there will be others who are not convinced.
, Vice General Wen always admires people who are more powerful than him, if you convince him, no one in the military camp will dare to question you in the future."
Chu Yunning was surprised: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for reminding me. I understand this matter."
Then Emperor Mingwen asked again: "I heard that you are studying charcoal fire?"
"Your Majesty, would you like to go and see it together?"
Emperor Mingwen did not hesitate and nodded directly in agreement, so fast that she almost thought that the other party was waiting for her words.
She built a large boiler in the back mountain, referencing the modern northern heating system. At first she thought of burying pipes underground, but then she thought about it and realized that this was not very reliable. After all, the pipes were dead and would not be moved if they were moved.
If there is no place, then the success will fall short.
So she planned to install a small fire pipe in each tent, with a stove rising above it. It could also be used to heat up water, drink water, and make some ginger soup or something.
This large boiler is responsible for refining charcoal. Compared with charcoal burned from trees, it is more suitable to dig charcoal directly on the mountain. The charcoal is more resistant to burning. This is a small piece of charcoal mountain discovered by accident during digging. It is used day and night.
The mining is enough to supply every tent.
"It can't be supplied during the day, but it can keep every soldier warm at night when they sleep."
Emperor Mingwen picked up the charcoal stones on the ground, which were dark and dark: "Can this be burned?"
As he spoke, he threw the charcoal in his hand into a pile of fire. After a while, the charcoal burned and his whole body was wrapped in fire.
"Your Majesty, it can really burn." Eunuch Mo was surprised.